Japanese Public Nixes Tax Hike To Fund Defense Spending

The Japanese public has raised pressure on the administration of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, with a poll by Kyodo News finding Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, that 64.9 percent disapprove of a recently announced plan to raise taxes to finance a substantial increase in the nation's defense spending.

Photo Insert: On Friday, Kishida announced Japan's new security strategy to forge ahead with its biggest defense buildup program since World War II amid China's rise and North Korean threats.

The support rate for his Cabinet stayed at 33.1 percent from last month's survey, the lowest since its launch last year.

The disapproval rating was almost unchanged at 51.5 percent. On Friday, Kishida announced Japan's new security strategy to forge ahead with its biggest defense buildup program since World War II amid China's rise and North Korean threats.

As for the planned increase in defense budgets for five years from the next fiscal year, 53.6 percent oppose it, with 39.0 percent in favor. The government also plans to increase corporate and tobacco taxes to boost defense spending, Mainichi Shimbun also reported on Dec. 18.

In the telephone poll held Saturday and Sunday, 87.1 percent felt Kishida had failed to explain the tax hike plan adequately, with only 7.2 percent saying his explanation was sufficient.

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